Boating apparatus

ABSTRACT

Boating apparatus utilizing a small boat having two or more mating sections. First and second detachable mating half rib sections are employed, each section being secured to an edge of a corresponding boat half which is adapted to abut an edge of the other boat half. The sections have mating tongues and grooves. Locking member disposed partially in one section and partially in the other enable the sections to be locked together in sealing engagement to assemble the boat and to enable the sections to be separated and the boat disassembled.

Vertrees [4 1 Nov. 12, 1974 BOATING APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Warren J. Vertrees, Anchorage,

Alaska [73] Assignee: The Raymond Lee Organization,

Inc., New York, NY.

Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix Assistant Examiner-Jesus D. Sotelo [57] ABSTRACT Boating apparatus utilizing a small boat having two or more mating sections. First and second detachable mating half rib sections are employed. each section being secured to an edge of a corresponding boat half which is adapted to abut an edge of the other boat half. The sections have mating tongues and grooves. Locking member disposed partially in one section and partially in the other enable the sections to be locked together in sealing engagement to assemble the boat and to enable the sections to be separated and the boat disassembled.

2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures [22] Filed: Sept. 28, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 401,827

521 US. Cl. 9/2 s [51] Int. Cl B63b 7/04 [58] Field of Search 9/1 R, 2 R, 2 C, 2 S, 6; 244/120 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,l50,385 9/l964 Gerber et al. 9/2 S 3,453,669 7/1969 Purney, Sr, 9/2 C FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 792,538 l/l936 France 9/2 S BOATING APPARATUS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is directed toward small boats which can be stored and transported in simpler, easier manner than heretofore obtainable.

To this end, the boat is divided into two or more separate mating sections. The boat can be easily transported and stored with the boat in sections and the boat can be quickly and easily assembled or disassembled at the site.

To this end, for example, first and second detachable mating half rib sections are employed, each. section being secured to an edge .of a corresponding boat half which is adapted to abut an edge of the other boat half. The sections have mating tongues and grooves. Locking means disposed partially in each section enable the sections to be locked together in sealing engagement to assemble the boat and to enable the sections to be separated and the boat disassembled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIGS. 1-5, a small boat has front and rear mating sections and 12, each section being provided with corresponding ones of half sections 14 and 16 which form a two piece molded aluminum rib. These half sections can be detachably locked together to assemble the boat and of course can be separated for disassembling the boat. A

Section 14, vertically elongated has a lower tongue 20, an upper parallel tongue 22 spaced therefrom, a

bottom shoulder 24 below tongue 20 and an upper shoulder 26 above tongue 22. A plurality of space transverse grooves 28 are cut into shoulder 26 and tongue 22. An L shaped member 34 is butted against the rear flat surface 30 and top surface 32 of section 14 and is held in place by screws 18. Member 34 has transverse slots 36 aligned with grooves 28. A transverse plate 38 has a groove 42 in which the long leg of L shaped member is disposed and held in place by screw 44. The member 40 extends through the groove 28 and aligned slot 36 with its short leg 40A being pivotable therein by moving plate 38. There are a plurality of members 40 and plates 38 corresponding to the number of aligned slots 36 and grooves 28.

Section 16 has a lower tongue 50 adapted to abut shoulder 24, an upper tongue 52 adapted to abut shoulder 26 and a center tongue 56 adapted to engage the groove 54 between tongues 20 and 22 in section 14. Tongue 22 extends in groove 64 between tongues 52 and 56. I

The groove 58 between tongues 50 and 56 carries a gasket 60 engaged detachably and sealably by tongue 20 of section 14.

Tongues 52 and 56 have grooves 62 cut therein and aligned with grooves 28.

An L shaped member 66 is disposed in grooves 62 with an upwardly extending short leg 66A and is held in section 16 by screw 18. The sections 14 and 16 are locked together by snapping each member 38 in such position that the downwardly pointing short leg 40A of member 40 is disposed in abutting engagement with upright short leg 66A of member 66.

The sections are unlocked by snapping members 38 to disengage these short legs.

Note that sections 14 and 16 can extend vertically along the sides and horizontally across the bottom to insure water tight engagement along all abutting edges of sections 10 and 12.

The boats using this invention are typically row boats or small open boats using outboard motors and the like.

Typically all pieces (other than' the seal or gasket) used in this invention can be formed of molded aluminum.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to the drawings, such is not to be considered as limiting its actual scope.

Having thus described this invention what is claimed as new is:

1. Boating apparatus comprising:

a boat having separate front and rear mating halves;

first and second detachable mating half rib sections,

each section being secured to an edge of a corresponding boat half which is adapted to abut an edge of the other boat half, the sections extending vertically along the sides and horizonally along the bottom of the boat halves and having mating tongues and grooves; and locking means being disposed in the sections in a plurality of spaced positions, the sections having aligned transverse slots at said spaced positions, the locking means being disposed partially in one section and partially in the other to enable the sections to be locked together in sealing engagement to assemble the boat and enable the sections to be separated and the boat disassembled, the means including a stationary member disposed in each of the slots of one section and a corresponding movable member disposed in each of the slots of the other section. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each movable member can be manually pivoted into and out of locking engagement with the corresponding stationary member. 

1. Boating apparatus comprising: a boat having separate front and rear mating halves; first and second detachable mating half rib sections, each section being secured to an edge of a corresponding boat half which is adapted to abut an edge of the other boat half, the sections extending vertically along the sides and horizonally along the bottom of the boat halves and having mating tongues and grooves; and locking means being disposed in the sections in a plurality of spaced positions, the sections having aligned transverse slots at said spaced positions, the locking means being disposed partially in one section and partially in the other to enable the sections to be locked together in sealing engagement to assemble the boat and enable the sections to be separated and the boat disassembled, the means including a stationary member disposed in each of the slots of one section and a corresponding movable member disposed in each of the slots of the other section.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each movable member can be manually pivoted into and out of locking engagement with the corresponding stationary member. 